Pierre Gasly secures first ever career pole for Alpine in Monza qualifying

Pierre Gasly has delivered a monumental shock at the Temple of Speed by putting his Alpine on pole position for the Italian Grand Prix for the first time in his career. In a blistering conclusion to a tense qualifying session at Monza, the Frenchman capitalised on upgraded machinery and immense track evolution to beat heavy favourites Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari.

Throughout practice it appeared to be Mercedes’ weekend to lose. George Russell had topped two of the three practice sessions, revelling in the immense straight-line speed of the Silver Arrows. With teammate Kimi Antonelli already destined for a back-of-the-grid start due to a power unit change, Mercedes deployed the Italian perfectly to provide a slipstream for Russell.

Antonelli routinely sacrificed his own laps to punch a hole in the air for his teammate, a tactic that looked set to secure pole position. Russell set a formidable benchmark of 1m 21.929s early in Q3. However, track temperatures steadily dropped from a scorching 57 degrees Celsius in Q1, altering tyre behaviour and leaving the door ajar for a late upset. While Antonelli completed a crowd-pleasing glory run to take sixth, Russell was ultimately eclipsed by a spectacular middle sector from Gasly.

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Ferrari falter in front of the Tifosi

The passionate Italian crowd arrived dreaming of a front-row lockout for the Scuderia but left somewhat underwhelmed. Armed with a potent new engine upgrade, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were expected to challenge at the very front.

The reality proved much more difficult. Hamilton barely scraped through Q2 by a margin of 0.001s, struggling for pace despite fresh rubber and a tow. In Q3 an unusual run plan left Hamilton without a slipstream, restricting him to fifth on the grid. Leclerc fared marginally better to secure fourth, finishing just 0.003s behind the leaders but lacking the ultimate pace to challenge Gasly or Russell.

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Drama for McLaren and Red Bull

McLaren’s form remained an enigma throughout the afternoon. Lando Norris battled braking and power complaints in Q1 before recovering to make Q3. The team’s final run ended in disaster when Oscar Piastri locked up and abandoned his lap, inadvertently depriving Norris of a crucial tow. As a result, Norris slumped to seventh on the timing sheets.

Piastri faces further complications following a Q2 impeding incident with Liam Lawson at Turn 1. Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer described a grid drop for the Australian as a «slam dunk» penalty, which could relegate Piastri well down the order from his current provisional starting spot.

Red Bull also endured a fraught session. Max Verstappen battled balance issues and a lack of grip throughout Friday. While overnight setup tweaks provided some relief, the Dutchman could only manage a time 0.066s off Gasly’s benchmark. With Lawson destined for the back of the grid after taking a new power unit, the Kiwi was unable to reach Q3 to assist Verstappen with a slipstream.

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Alpine’s spectacular resurgence

The day undoubtedly belonged to Alpine. Upgrades introduced at the previous round have vaulted the French constructor back to the sharp end of the grid. Franco Colapinto, buoyed by a recently signed contract for next season, showed strong pace alongside his teammate throughout the earlier sessions.

But it was Gasly who extracted every ounce of performance from the car. Living in nearby Milan, the Frenchman treated Monza as a home race and delivered a flawless final lap with personal bests in the first two sectors. As the timing screens flashed purple, the Alpine garage erupted, celebrating one of the most unexpected and thrilling pole positions of the 2026 season.

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